The Light Between Worlds

Summary

What happens when you return to the real world after being in a fantastical one like Narnia? This YA debut by Laura E. Weymouth is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood and Lev Grossman's The Magicians.

Six years ago, sisters Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell were swept away to a strange and beautiful kingdom called the Woodlands, where they lived for years. But ever since they returned to their lives in post-WWII England, they have struggled to adjust.

Ev desperately wants to return to the Woodlands, and Philippa just wants to move on. When Ev goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister's despair and the painful truths they've been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.

Walking the line between where fantasy and reality meet, this lyrical and magical novel is, above all else, an exploration of loss and healing, and what it means to find where you belong.

Reviews

The Light Between Worlds is actually quite a great novel, the characters are well developed and the themes of depression and unhealthy coping are thoroughly explored, I just didn't really get on with it. The atmosphere was too melancholy for me. I felt like the world building and writing style just didn't grip me enough, and I didn't feel the characters longing for the Woodlands as I felt like I should have based on their emotions. The two POVs were very unique and definitely didn't feel the same. Both Evelyn and Phillipa had their own style and issues that they were dealing with, and the author did a wonderful job portraying these. I think that I just couldn't relate to them, and so I couldn't relate to their story or situations. The Woodlands world seemed really interesting, and I wish we had got to be in it longer, and gotten more than just snippets of the girls' memories of their time there. IT felt too fleeting, and I couldn't get a feel for how things were for them. I wanted more from that part of the novel. It definitely hard Narnia vibes, but was still different in it's own way. Overall, this could be a very powerful, and emotional book for some readers, it just wasn't for me.